Wear Your Sin Like A Prize
by SoulSoother59
Summary: Marina is a neonatologist and obstetrician at The National Maternity Hospital in Dublin. With her failing romantic life the constant butt of her friends' jokes, Marina wants to change things. But when her childhood bully reappears on the scene, he not only drags up old, unwanted memories but also new feelings altogether. Can Marina let her guard down long enough to let him in?
1. Doctor's Orders

_**Authors Note: I wrote and published this for a one-shot some time ago. Having gone back to read it again and again and thinking about writing a sequel, I have now decided to write this into a full blown story. It's been on my mind for some time but my personal life is pretty hectic. For anyone reading who has previously read the one-shot, nothing much has changed so far and I hope that you enjoy this version of events. Pronunciations**__** are at the bottom of the chapter. Thanks!**_

* * *

Marina's eyes stung as she opened and closed them several times, trying to ward off the aching exhaustion she was feeling. The scent of fresh brewed coffee invaded her nostrils and she took a deep inhale, her senses swimming with the delicious scent. The balls of her feet were burning despite the sensible work shoes that they were currently stuffed in to. Having been on her feet for over 24 hours would appear maddening to any other person but Marina was dedicated to her work. Opening her eyes, she reached for the Styrofoam cup of coffee on the table in front of her, bringing it to her lips to take a gulp of the surprisingly lukewarm liquid. Marina was more than certain that the coffee had been piping hot when she got it, resounding herself to the fact that she must have dozed off in the cheap plastic hospital canteen chair for a few moments. Just as she felt her eyes beginning to drift shut once more, her beeper went off, jolting her from her sweet slumber.

Standing to her feet, Marina glanced at the beeper, all colour draining from her face as she dashed from the canteen, making a beeline for the elevator and jabbing at the button on the wall. The elevator arrived with a sharp 'ding' and Marina stepped inside, her white doctor's jacket swinging behind her. She rode up to the 5th floor, stepping out into the bustling neonatal unit. An alarm was sounding from one of the patient's rooms and Marina headed straight towards it, managing to force a smile onto her lips when the head nurse, Mhairi, fell into step with her. She handed a chart off to Marina, who quickly flicked through the notes to get herself up to speed.

The patient's name was Diana Kearney. She was currently 29 weeks along in her pregnancy and had been admitted to the hospital suffering signs of early labour. Having already suffered 3 miscarriages over the previous two years, she was a high risk case whom the hospital had been keeping a close eye on. Her previous pregnancies had not progressed beyond the 15 week mark, so she was very lucky to have made it to 29 weeks. However, the preventative measures that the hospital had introduced seemingly weren't holding off the labour.

Marina and Mhairi entered the patients room and Mhairi quickly set about silencing the alarms in the room. Diana was writhing in pain on the bed, beads of sweat on her brow and a panicked look on her face. Marina stepped towards her, taking readings from the machines as she did so.

"Diana, sweetheart, you need to stay calm," Marina tried to reassure her. "I know that's not easy but we don't want to put more stress on the baby."

Diana managed to nod, squeezing her husband Patrick's hand. "I'm scared. And the contractions are really close together now," she told Marina. "What's happening? Is she okay?"

"Her heart rate is elevated but it's nothing to panic about," Marina replied with a reassuring smile. "What I am more concerned about is you," she added. "We can have the baby out in minutes if need be, Diana. The issue is that we can't stop this labour and I know that doesn't sound reassuring. But, the fact that you've gotten this far with this pregnancy is a good sign and that little baby is a fighter. She wants to be born and we will do everything we can to make her as healthy as can be. But we need to get her out."

Diana allowed her head to drop back against the pillows, tears leaking out of her eyes.

"Please, just save my baby," she croaked out, curling herself into her husband's embrace. Patrick cradled his wife, holding her closely as he tried to keep his own tears at bay.

Marina nodded, turning to Mhairi. "Get Kian on the phone, let him know the details and let's get Diana prepped for surgery."

Looking back to Diana, Marina reached out to squeeze her other hand. "Everything's going to be okay," she told her, turning to leave the room.

Heading for the main reception desk on the floor, Marina called up to the appointed master of the hospital, Dr Rebecca Ahearn. She'd stepped into the position two years prior and Marina had completed all of her training under Rebecca's tutelage. She informed her of what was happening and was asked to keep her up to speed on Diana's progress. With a sigh, Marina put the phone down and allowed her shoulders to slump. Mhairi appeared in front of her, having walked around to the other side of the desk.

"You've been here for 26 hours," she tutted at Marina. "You need to go home."

"No," Marina vehemently shook her head. "I want to be here when Diana gets out of surgery."

Mhairi rolled her eyes. "Alright! But afterwards, I want to see you marching out of that front door en route home," she chuckled as Marina nodded at her. "Why don't you pop down and see how Colin and Ciaran are doing? Maggie told me that the parents have been asking after you."

"Okay. Buzz me when Diana is out of surgery."

Marina headed on down the corridor to the NICU. She approached the large glass windows, looking in on the babies with a sad smile on her face. She was filled with elation to see that the majority of them were doing so well but there were still some worrying cases. They'd lost their first baby in 6 months the previous week and Marina was devastated watching the parents grieve for the child.

Tapping on the window, Marina gained the attention of Sara O'Connell and her husband Danny. They were parents to 4 week old twins Colin and Ciaran. Sara had been admitted at 32 weeks pregnant with advanced labour. Their case was exceptionally close to Marina's heart because she'd been the only doctor on call and had actually delivered the twins herself.

Sara and Danny waved her in with beaming smiles on their faces. Putting on a gown, cap and gloves, Marina entered the NICU and joined Sara and Danny as they cooed over the twins. They were coming on leaps and bounds and had recently been taken out of their incubators.

"Would you like to hold one of them?" Danny asked with a look of fatherly pride of his face. Marina nodded and pulled up a chair, allowing Sara to place Ciaran in her arms. He wriggled a little, unused to the new person who was holding him. He settled down, wrapping his tiny fingers around Marina's index finger, bringing the tip to his mouth, using it as a makeshift soother. Marina was in awe of both babies. She remembered the worry that had coursed through her just after their delivery and now here they were, breathing on their own and being held by their parents.

"How are you guys doing?" She asked Sara and Danny.

They both had reserved looks on their faces. Marina could see that the stress was taking its toll on them.

"We're getting there," Danny told her. "It's not been easy."

"I don't expect that it will have been. But these boys are fighters," Marina grinned when Ciaran snuggled closer into her, gripping her fingers tighter. "They're doing so well. Another few weeks and they'll be going home with the both of you."

Sara reached up to flick a couple of tears away from her eyes.

"We can't thank you enough, Marina. You've done so much for us," she said. "We don't even know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Marina looked between the two of them. "I'm only doing my job. And remember, if you ever need anything afterwards, you know where to find me," she used her free hand to squeeze one of Sara's.

Maggie appeared behind Marina, squeezing her shoulder. Marina turned to look at her, smiling.

"Hello, Maggie," she grinned at the older woman. "How are you?"

"Not bad, dear," Maggie replied. "It's bath time for these boys though."

"Of course, I need to get going anyway. Thank you for letting me see them," Marina told Danny and Sara. They both nodded, each taking it in turns to hug her once she had passed Ciaran to Maggie. Bidding all of them goodbye, Marina headed back towards the main reception of the neonatal unit. Her beeper began to sound as she stripped off her gown, cap and gloves.

Diana was out of surgery. Mhairi met her half way, a small smile on her lips.

"Kian said everything went as well as expected. Diana is resting in her room and they've set up an incubator for Caitriona."

Marina grinned as Mhairi informed her of the good news. "I'm going to pop in to see Patrick."

Mhairi nodded and headed back towards the reception desk and Marina made a beeline for Patrick and Diana's room. She knocked a couple of times and then popped her head inside. Patrick was sitting by his wife's bedside holding her hand. He glanced up and quietly stood up, giving Diana's hand a reassuring squeeze as he followed Marina outside, closing the door behind him.

"Everything went well with the surgery. We've set up an incubator for Caitriona and she's being put on some medication to help with her breathing. For now, she's okay so don't worry too much. Let's focus on Diana just now. Just be with her and help her through. And from the bottom of my heart, I want to congratulate the both of you," Marina added with a beaming smile.

Patrick grinned, bracing his hands on his hips. "Can we see Caitriona?"

"As soon as Diana wakes up, Mhairi is going to take the two of you down to see her. For now, it'll just be through the window but in a few days you'll be able to go inside and sit by the incubator. As she progresses, you'll be able to hold her and Diana will be able to feed her. As things go, she's strong and for a baby born at 29 weeks, she's healthy, so that's good news."

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for us. I don't think we'd have gotten this far if it wasn't for the endless support you've give us, Marina," Patrick took her hands in his and squeezed them. "You've been a godsend to us. Thank you again," he smiled tearfully at her before going back inside the room to be with his wife.

It was in times like this that Marina felt an overwhelming pride in her job. Moments like this made up for all of the other devastating times that they had on the neonatal ward. Nothing felt as good as seeing parents leave with a healthy child. It contributed to helping all of them overcome the sheer sorrow when they lost a baby.

"Time for you to go home," Mhairi informed Marina as she approached the main reception desk. "No more excuses."

"Yes ma'am!" Marina saluted her, letting her shoulders sag as tiredness began to seep into her bones. It was 3.42pm and Marina had currently been in the hospital for over 27 hours. She needed decent food, decent coffee and an even more decent sleep. Bidding her goodbyes to Mhairi and few of the other nurses, Marina stopped by her office to remove her white coat and pick up her jacket and bag. She quickly listened to her answering machine and checked a few emails, making a note in her diary that the conference at Beaumont had been shifted to 9.30am the following day. Rebecca had asked Marina to come along to a conference about neonatal care with experts from around the country flying in to speak to them.

Slipping on her coat and lifting her bag, Marina grabbed her mobile and locked up her office, heading towards the elevators to exit the building, her shoulders sagging with relief that the day was finally over.

* * *

_**Pronunciations:**_

_**Mhairi - Vah-Ray**_

_**Kian - Kee-An**_

_**Ciaran - Kee-Ran **_

_**Caitriona - Kah-Tree-Nah**_


	2. Morals In The Dust

Sitting with his eyes closed, Stephen tried to find a comfortable position in the hard, metal chair of the passenger lounge. He was traveling with the crew to a show in North Carolina and all he wanted to do was sleep. His job was tough; long hours on the road and hardly any sleep provided a less than ample working environment, but he wouldn't give it up for the world. He loved what he did. There was no feeling like a crowd of tens of thousands of people either chanting his name or jeering at him.

His eyes burned behind his closed lids as the familiar beats of 'Nothing Else Matters' by 'Metallica' drifted through the ear buds from his iPod. He tugged his flat cap further down over his face, trying to block out the beams of light that illuminated the airport. His eyes opened again when he felt an irritating tapping rhythm beginning at the nape of his neck before it moved up towards the back of his skull. Ripping the ear buds out, he swung around to be faced with John Cena.

"Give it a fuckin' rest!" he growled what he hoped was menacingly. "Can't you see a fella is tryin' to sleep?"

John just laughed and flicked the front of his cap this time, sending it toppling from Stephen's head.

"Lighten up, dude. Oh and your phone's buzzing," he pointed to the screen was shining through the pocket of Stephen's jeans.

"Ta," Stephen absent-mindedly replied as he popped the flat cap back on his head. He fished through his pocket for his phone, pulling it out to look at the screen. His mother's name flashed upon the screen, filling him with a sense of dread. It was unusual for her to call him, especially long distance. "It's me mam," he told no one in particular before getting up from the seats and wandering away from the rowdy crowd of WWE Superstars and crew. He answered the call with a gruff "Hullo."

* * *

Marina jumped up from the table as Mhairi dumped a huge load of case files on her table. She groaned aloud, her eyes stinging.

"Late night?" Mhairi grinned lasciviously as she straightened out the patient files she had brought in.

"Wha...? No, well, yes, I suppose you could say that. I was up late looking over notes from that conference last week," she replied, yawning and stretching her arms up over her head. The white lab coat that she wore over her attire was quite restrictive and didn't allow the type of stretch that Marina really wanted. Cracking her neck from side to side, she yawned again and looked down at the paperwork.

"Oh, Marina. Paperwork? Really?" Mhairi tutted at her. "Here, I was hoping you'd say that you were up late being screw-"

"Do not finish that sentence!" Marina warned her, glaring at her friend. "Do I honestly look like I've got the time for a man in my life?" Marina demonstrated with her arms to the piles of paperwork and case files for the hospital that were stacked on her desk.

"Well, no. But you do look like you need one, there is a difference," Mhairi replied. "For fuck sake, Marina. You need to get laid, lass. Maybe it'll help get rid of all that bottled up tension and frustration."

"That's what Ben is for," Marina hit back, referring to the personal trainer who put her through ten rounds of hell, four times a week at the gym.

Mhairi's shoulders slumped and she sighed. "Can you not just work with me once, please? I'm just trying to help."

"I know you are," Marina shooed her away with her hands. "And I love you for it. But I'm just too damn busy to think about members of the opposite sex."

"Fine," Mhairi relented. "But you are going to come out with us tomorrow night. And I'm not taking no for an answer!" she escaped the room without waiting for Marina's answer.

* * *

It was early evening when Marina finished her shift at the hospital, thankful that she wasn't on call that night. Her plans included takeaway, a bottle of wine and hopefully she would be able to make a dent in the pile of paperwork she had sitting on her coffee table. Marina knew that to an outsider, her life would seem boring as hell. But she was so focused on being the best doctor she could be that everything else fell to the wayside. Some things in life were just more important.

Heading across the entranceway of the hotel, Marina was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't see the pool of water on the floor. As soon as the heel of her shoe made contact with it, the blonde felt her weight shift beneath her and she tumbled to the floor. Her bag slipped from her shoulder, the contents scattering everywhere. Her ankle stung from where she had gone down on it but she reckoned as she looked over herself that nothing was damaged, except her pride.

A hand appeared in front of her and she looked up to see a man standing over her. He had dark blue eyes and really dark hair; not brown but not quite black either. He smiled at her, showing off a set of pearly whites. His hair hung low around the back of his head but he had tucked the edges behind his ears for a neater look. Reaching a hand out, Marina staggered to her feet and almost instantly she could feel a wet patch on her backside. However, she was thankful that her skirt was dark and it would hopefully remain unnoticed until she reached her car.

"Thank you," Marina told the stranger, the entirety of her face turning a sweet shade of a pink. She looped a loose curl of her hair behind her ear and began to search for her things, only to realise that the man had picked it all up, depositing it in her bag. He held it out to her.

"No problem," he said in a slightly foreign accent. "Can't allow a beautiful woman to tumble and not help her up. Are you alright? Nothing hurt?"

"Just my pride, I reckon," Marina answered, checking herself over again. She took her bag from the man and looped it back onto her shoulder.

"That tends to happen in these cases. Perhaps try not to get so lost in your thoughts in future. It is usually a good idea to watch where you're going," he chuckled. "I'm Xander," he held out his hand to her.

"Marina," she replied back. "Thank you for helping me up. But I really have to go."

"Not to worry. Anything for a beautiful lady," he grinned, making Marina blush again. "Perhaps we'll run into each other again sometime?"

"Who knows," Marina shrugged at him and bid him goodbye, a sweet smile curling her lips upwards.

She headed through the automatic doors and outside towards the car park. She was still smiling like a fool as she reached her car, dipping her hand into her bag to retrieve the keys. As she attempted to find them, she realised her bag felt slightly lighter. Allowing her bag to slide down into the crook of her elbow, Marina raked through it and was aghast to find her purse missing. A sense of dread filled her as she retraced her steps up until now. And then it dawned on her - after she had fallen was the only time that the bag was out of her sight.

* * *

_**Xander - Zan-Der**_


	3. City Limits

Marina stood outside, tapping the heel of her boot against the concrete paving stones. She nervously chewed on the side of her thumb nail, looking up at the bar before her. The Liquor Rooms was one of Mhairi's favourite haunts in the city; the place where she held all of her 'classy' after work binging sessions.

The thought of going inside and joining in with the steady stream of patrons that were filing through the door filled Marina with an intense fear. She did not do parties and going out and getting blazing drunk, only to stumble home at 3 am. It wasn't her thing and The Liquor Rooms wasn't her scene but she had promised Mhairi that she would show up.

She had already had the week from hell trying to track down the European thief who had stolen her purse with all her money and cards inside. The police had informed her that it had been brought to their attention that several groups of them were working in tandem across the city after a string of robberies had been reported. However, they were still no closer to returning her purse.

Gathering her wits, Marina headed for the entrance to The Liquor Rooms, deciding that she couldn't put it off any longer. As she entered the bar, passing by the bouncers on the door without batting an eyelid, her ears thrummed with the beat of an unfamiliar song that was playing through some speakers inside. Looking around, Marina felt herself caught up in the push and pull of everyone.

The bar had four rooms; the main one, Marina found as she stepped inside, held throngs of people gathered to watch the bartenders expertly mixing cocktails. Threading her way past them, Marina headed towards the back, knowing that Mhairi would be in one of the other rooms known as The Black Rabbit.

* * *

The Black Rabbit was modelled after a circus. The ceiling sloped like a large circus tent and bore that striped pattern. It was darker inside this room, lit with mood lighting that created a dark, smoky atmosphere, the lights giving off just enough glow to navigate your way around. There was a bar at one end, the wooden cabinet behind it lined with bottles of liquor. The tables inside were low and had antique dark wood and cream French chairs placed around them.

It was less crowded in the room and Marina could have a decent look around for Mhairi without having to strain herself to see over the top of everyone. Her friend was sitting near the back of the room and was deep in conversation with her male counterpart. Marina didn't recognise him and assumed him to be Mhairi's 'pick-of-the-night'.

Her feet began to move and she made her way over towards the tables, her hand lifting to wave at Mhairi who had noticed her presence now. The brunette sprung up from the table and wove her way through the tables to meet Marina in the middle of the room.

"You came!" Mhairi told her, her expression a mix of shock and joy with a little wariness thrown in.

"Don't look so excited about it, Mhairi," Marina laughed, looking at the other girl's slightly forlorn expression. The brunette wore a short black leather skirt which she had paired with a midriff baring white top and thigh high black boots. A black ribbon choker was secured around her throat and her hair was pulled back from her face, twisted into a French plait.

Mhairi rolled her eyes. "I am, don't be silly," she tried to reassure her friend. "It's just that I didn't think you would show up tonight and I- "

"Well, I wasn't going to," Marina told her truthfully. "I've had the week from hell trying to get my purse back after that guy stole it."

"Oh, crap! That's right. Still no sign of him yet, then?" Mhairi asked, reaching out to run her hands up and down Marina's arms, trying to comfort her. Marina shook her head. "And what about your purse? Your money?"

"The police are trying to recover what they can but I'm not hopeful. I've just had to cancel all my cards and payments etc. But it's fine, it is what it is and I can't change that. I just need to stop being so trustful of people."

Mhairi nodded and looked over her shoulder and then back at Marina a few times in succession, causing Marina to feel suspicious of her behaviour. A sinking feeling developed inside the blonde and she wondered what on earth her friend was up to.

"What's wrong with you?" Marina asked with a slight laugh. "You're acting shifty," she added, trying to find out what Mhairi was looking at. The brunette whipped her head around to face her friend.

"I'm not!" Mhairi insisted, dragging her teeth across her bottom lip. "There's something that I should tell you though and I know you're going to get really pissed but– "

"Mhairi! It's my round next, what're you havin', lass?" a foreign, yet awfully familiar voice cut through the conversation that Marina and Mhairi were having. Marina looked in the direction of the voice and felt shock reverberate through her. There, standing not too far from where she and Mhairi stood was none other than Stephen Farrelly.

Marina swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. She looked at Stephen, who was not looking at her but was sharing a joke with a couple of his friends, waiting on Mhairi answering his question. He looked different, yet, still the same. He still had the fiery locks but it was now spiked into a Mohawk on top of his head. His facial hair was trimmed neatly and was the same shade as his hair. The main difference about him was his sheer size. He stood at well over 6 ft. and Marina could easily see the definition in his arms from where she was standing. The grey t-shirt he wore seemed fit to burst around the muscles of his biceps which could easily be as big as her head.

He looked over and their eyes met. And, Marina couldn't look away. She was trying to dampen down the swirling anger that she felt inside of her body. Years of images floated through her mind and it only served to make her angrier by the second.

"Marina, look, it's no big deal, I just- "

"How can you say that to me, Mhairi?!" Marina wrenched herself from her friend's grip, breaking eye contact with Stephen and looking to Mhairi. "After everything that happened, you don't get to tell me it's no big deal. How could you not tell me he was going to be here?"

"I didn't think that you'd come," Mhairi answered lamely, her voice breaking as her eyes began to well with emotion; a mixture of sadness and the alcohol she had drank taking effect on her.

"I wouldn't have," she insisted, running a hand through her tumbling blonde tresses.

Marina felt as if the air had been sucked out of the room. Stephen had moved over to where they stood and was taking up an indeterminable amount of space, his eyes curious about the exchange going on between the two girls.

"Aren't you going to introduce your friend, Mhairi?" Stephen asked, his tone soft and polite.

"Well, leave it to you to forget who the little people are, Stephen," Marina snapped as she turned to him. "I'm pretty sure I would try to forget looking down my big nose at someone as they lay in a dirty puddle whilst I tore their books and homework apart," she added crudely.

He took a step back, folding his impressive arms across his chest, making them look even bigger.

"Marina," he said lamely.

"Oh, so you do remember my name. Mhairi was just telling me that you and I being in the same room is no big deal. I'm not inclined to agree with her considering the history between the two of us."

"Marina, please," Mhairi tried but she trailed off with nothing else to say.

"Look, I don't really think that this is the place for discussing this, it'll probably make a scene. But, how about I buy you a drink and we can talk? In private?" Stephen suggested, trying to defuse the situation before it became volatile. In his line of work, the last thing he needed was the dirt sheets getting a hold of this story.

"Now you want to talk? What was your excuse all those years ago, when you and your friends made me a victim at your hands?" Marina attempted to turn away from them both, her mind set on just walking away. However, she turned back, still needing to say one thing. "And, just for the record, I can buy my own drinks. But what the hell are you even doing here anyway?"

"This is my home. I came back to see my friends, my fa- "

"Well, the sooner you've seen them, the better because this city isn't big enough for the both of us!"


End file.
